Teatro Lirico Singer Flutters Through ‘Butterfly’

Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” is foolproof as long as you have a heartbreaking Cio-Cio San. That’s exactly what Teatro Lirico d’Europa offered in Qilian Chen, who sang the title role Friday at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.

With her radiant smile and demeanor, Chen easily evoked the idealistic, trusting 15-year-old geisha who marries the cad Pinkerton, believing he is as committed to the relationship as she is. Chen shifted adroitly between childhood innocence and mature awareness of her pained life up to the point of meeting the American naval lieutenant. Far greater sacrifice lay ahead, and Chen was up to revealing the levels of tragedy.

Vocally, her silvery soprano tended to wobble under pressure, especially in the first act (she did not attempt the high D-flat at the end of her entrance aria). But she went the marathon distance with strength and dignity, and with subtle and affecting phrasing. She carried the opera to its triumphant conclusion.

Her Pinkerton was Roumen Doykov, who spelled his last name Doikov at the company’s appearances in Cerritos in 2000 and 2001. He used his bright, big tenor with little if any subtlety in dynamic or phrasing, which matched his broad stand-and-sing acting style. He did, however, interestingly suggest that Pinkerton’s interest in the teenage heroine had an edge of unsavory prurience.

Nicolai Dobrev sang Sharpless, the American consul, strongly but without hint of emotional involvement in the story. Elena Marinova was a sympathetic Suzuki, alarmed even at the marriage about what the future might bring. Milko Mihaylov was a sly Goro. The other minor characters were monochromatic, however.

Company director Giorgio Lalov staged the opera traditionally, except at the end, when he stopped the action as a remorseful Pinkerton held the dying Butterfly in his arms, leaving their child in the lurch. Krassimir Topolov led the orchestra briskly.